Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Bloodletting Continues In Faroes

Another grindadrap has occurred in the Faroe Islands.
Last Friday 01 Nov.in Hvannasund on the Island of Vidoy, 85 pilot whales were butchered.
This is the first hunt of this season to have taken place in the killing bay of Hvannasund. The biggest hunt of pilot whales was on 30 July in Fuglafjordur, Esturoy where an exceptionally large pod of 267 pilot whales were killed. Another hunt occurred in August - 430 white-sided dolphins killed in Hvalba (yes, you read that right: dolphins!). This was the largest single kill of dolphins since 1994. 1,069 pilot whales have now been killed in the 2013 season - far more than the 713 pilot whales killed in 2012. This must rate as one of the bloodiest years for the Faroes in living memory.
Over 3,500 pilot whales have been killed since the beginning of 2010, raising serious human health, animal welfare and conservation concerns. The magnitude of these numbers is staggering when considering the cetacean families lost to these cruel hunts.
The global conservation group WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation), along with other organisations, are urging the Faroe Islanders to bring a permanent end to the hunting of pilot whales and other species of whales and dolphins, and have recently written to the Faroese authorities in coalition with other groups concerned about the humaneness of these horrible hunts.

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